Juliana Oluwasemiloore Diyan
Food Entrepreneur · Alimosho
1–3 years cooking experiencePersonal information
- Full name
- Juliana Oluwasemiloore Diyan
- Location
- Alimosho
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 27
- Phone
- 08146911870
- semiloorediyan@gmail.com
- Residential address
- 384, Greenland Street, Abesan Estate, Ipaja, Lagos State
- Social handles
- @loo_re_y @looreycooks
Applicant profile
- Applicant type
- Food Entrepreneur
- Applicant type other
- I currently run a food business called Looreycooks across all social media platforms that specializes in quality meals, event catering, curated food gift boxes, and corporate meal solutions.
- Current occupation
- Administrative Officer
- Cooking experience
- 1–3 years
Competition experience
- Prior competitions
- No
- Competition details
- NIL
Competition readiness
- Available throughout competition
- Yes
Entrepreneurship and impact
- Runs a food business
- Yes
- Business name
- Looreycooks
- Business type
- Food delivery and catering services.
- Years in operation
- 2 years
- Business challenge
- Turn my talents into a stronger business, refine my skills, build confidence and brand credibility.
Culinary journey
My love for cooking started way back when I was a teenager. I’ve always enjoyed being in the kitchen, trying things out and, most importantly, watching people enjoy the food I make. What started with cooking for myself, family and friends gradually grew into something I wanted to take more seriously, and eventually became LooreyCooks.
Through LooreyCooks, I’ve had the opportunity to cook for different people and occasions, from everyday meals and Nigerian favourites to soups, meal boxes, private and corporate catering. Every experience has taught me something, sometimes about food, sometimes about people, and sometimes about myself.
I’m still learning, experimenting and figuring out what kind of cook I want to become, but I genuinely enjoy the journey.
For me, cooking has grown from something I simply enjoyed doing into something that I’m proud to call my craft. I see EKOflavours as an opportunity to step outside my comfort zone, learn from the experience and challenge myself to see just how far I can go.
Cooking inspiration
What inspires my cooking is the ability of food to create an experience and an emotion. I love taking familiar ingredients and flavours and finding a way to present them differently without losing what makes them special.
I am inspired by Nigerian cuisines, the richness of our ingredients, the creativity of our people and the memories attached to the meals we grew up eating.
Most importantly, I am inspired by the people who eat my food. Seeing someone take that first bite, enjoy it and come back for more is a feeling that never gets old. It reminds me why I started cooking in the first place.
Signature dish
I’d say soups are my signature dish. I don’t have just one particular soup that I would call my signature because I genuinely enjoy making different Nigerian soups.
There’s something about making a good pot of soup that I really enjoy. I love building the flavours from scratch, choosing the right combination of ingredients and watching everything come together. I also like that even when you’re making a traditional soup, there’s still room to add your own little touch to it.
Why I want to participate
I want to participate because I genuinely love cooking, but I also want to challenge myself and see what I can do outside of my usual kitchen environment.
I’ve mostly grown through cooking for my customers, family, and friends, so being part of a competition like EKOflavours would give me the chance to put my skills to the test, learn from other cooks and experience cooking in a completely different setting.
What winning would mean
Winning would mean a lot to me because it would be a reminder that all the time, effort and love I’ve put into cooking have been worth it.
Beyond the competition, I’d love for the experience to help me grow ‘LooreyCooks’ into a stronger and more established brand, expand my reach to a wider audience through my food, and take meaningful steps toward building my own kitchen and scaling my business. It would represent an important milestone in my culinary journey and the long-term vision I have for my work.
